Freshman Admission Requirements

Bellarmine strives to enroll a freshman class with diverse talents and backgrounds. We expect entering freshmen to be academically prepared to succeed at Bellarmine as demonstrated by their high school grades and high school curriculum. Bellarmine is a test optional university. If you have a test score that enhances the review of your application, you may choose to submit your test scores. Each application is reviewed individually. Bellarmine considers trends in grades, difficulty of curriculum, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, part-time work, special talents, awards and honors, and recommendations in determining admission.

The minimum high school requirements for admission are as follows:

  • Four (4) units of English
  • Three (3) units of Math, including Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry
  • Three (3) units of social sciences and history
  • Two (2) units of natural sciences with labs
  • Two (2) units of foreign language 

Application Requirements

  • A completed online application through CommonApp or Bellarmine App.
  • Entrance exam (ACT or SAT I) or a request to have your application reviewed as Test Optional. We also accept Superscores.
  • An official transcript from the high school last attended or, for those who have not completed their high school work, a General Educational Development (GED) test score.
  • For students who intend to apply for a full-tuition scholarship: recommendation letter from high school counselor or teacher.

Admitted Student Profile

Typically, admitted applicants will have at least a 2.5 High School GPA. The median GPA of admitted students is a 3.7, with 50% of our admitted students falling between a 3.38 and 3.9 cumulative GPA.

For those who choose to submit test scores, the 50th percentile ACT range is 22-27 and SAT range is 1060-1260. We also accept Superscores.